Turn It Off And On Again
by WearerOfCapes
Summary: When McKenna goes for a new job at Reynholm Industries, she finds out a lot of things. Things like how to build a desk, how to talk to annoyed workers from seventh, and how easy it is to fall in love...
1. A new beginning hopefully

The bathroom door stuck. I pulled it a bit harder, praying it would open. It did, but the handle came off and I was left holding it.

"Oh, for god's sake." I groaned. It was six thirty in the morning. I had just gotten up, showered, and dressed. It was my first day at my new job. I was not going to mess this one up like I had all the others. Okay, a job working with computers wasn't the best for an art and Latin student, but it was the money I needed. I was scrimping as much as I could as it was, and I would have to pay my landlord for that handle. I couldn't get sacked again. It wasn't my fault that I was easily distracted. Last time it had been a heron sitting on the windowsill outside my office. Well… I liked ornithology. Anyway, this time I was told I'd be working in a basement. No windows for me to stare out of. And my colleagues… I didn't know their names yet. There were only three at the moment, as far as I knew. I just hoped they would accept my oddness.

* * *

><p>Two hours later, I arrived at Reynholm Industries, nervous but excited. My stomach was doing little flips. I looked around the huge reception area, and walked over to the desk. A woman sat behind it doing her nails.<p>

"Excuse me?" I said.

"What?" she replied sharply. I was taken aback, but continued:

"I'm starting here today, in the IT department? Could you show me where the lifts are?"

"Over there." She pointed a pink talon to the right. I thanked her and walked towards them. When an empty lift arrived, I got in. The button for the basement was dirty, rusty, and covered in cobwebs. I rolled my eyes, and pressed it anyway. The lift juddered its way down to the last stop, and I disembarked. There was a corridor ahead of me, and a single door. I knocked on it, and heard a woman's voice from inside saying:

"Look presentable, will you? I know you haven't met a new one for a while, but god! Moss, have you combed your hair?" there was a muffled reply that I didn't understand. The woman continued: "Shut up. Roy, get the door, will you?" There were footsteps, and the door opened.

"Hello." I said brightly. "I guess you're Roy?" A man with dark brown hair and light blue eyes stood at the door.

"Yes." He had an Irish accent. "You are…?"

"McKenna. Nice to meet you. Can I come in?"

"Sure." He seemed a bit grumpy, but I'd met people like him before. I was pretty sure I could charm him. He'd come round. I walked into the room. It was fairly large, with two more doors leading off it. A woman with red hair was adjusting the tie of a man with a black afro and glasses. Roy collapsed into a chair as the woman straightened up.

"Hi there!" she said. "You must be McKenna. I'm Jen, this is Moss, and that's Roy." She walked over to me and shook my hand. "We don't actually have a desk ready for you yet, but we'll find you somewhere soon enough, don't you worry."

"I rarely worry. I don't see the point. Might as well get things done with." I smiled.

"Right… Moss, could you show McKenna around while I go and find her a phone cable?" She walked through the door labelled 'Relationships Manager'. I turned to Moss.

"Umm… there's not much to show really. That's Jen's office; these are our desks; that's our comfy area with sofas and a kettle. And that's the door." He added.

"That sounded like a hint to me." I said.

"Maybe it was."

"Well, I'm good at identifying hints, but terrible at obeying them. Sorry."

"Was worth a try." He mumbled. Roy sat up from the chair where he was slouched.

"Moss, you aren't seriously trying to get rid of her, are you? She's cool, anyone can see that."

"But I'm not! Our personalities will clash. I like things how they are. You, me, Jen and-" Roy shot him a warning look. Moss cleared his throat. There was an awkward silence.

"Well, if you don't want me, I'd be happy to move on. Just find me another job so I actually get some money. I'm not doing well in those stakes." Moss looked at me.

"How badly is that?" he asked.

"I mean I owe my landlord three months' rent, and if I don't pay up by next month, he's going to throw me out. I keep getting the sack from jobs because I get distracted too easily. But you know… mustn't grumble." I picked up my bag, but Roy said:

"No, no, it's fine. Stay." I put my bag back down, and sat on the chair next to his. The awkward silence descended again. Just then, Jen walked back in with a telephone cable and a mouse.

"Okay." She said. "We have a computer over there, and a phone, and some sockets to plug them into. We just need a desk."

"Why, Jen, did you not order the desk first? Surely that would have helped." Moss said.

"I did! The bloody delivery men are late." There was another knock at the door. Jen answered it.

"Hello. Oh, thanks. Just what we needed." She took a package from the man. She shut the door on him, and muttered:

"You're still bloody late though." Then she reverted to cheery businesswoman. "Okay. Why is this box so small?"

"Flat pack." Roy was now on his back on the sofa. I frowned. He didn't notice. I walked across and stood over him. He laughed.

"You're upside down!" he giggled. I sighed. Then I pulled a pleading face.

"Roy…" I said.

"Yes, hello?" he said, suddenly alert and sitting up straight.

"Can you assemble flat pack furniture? Because I'm not very good at it, and I'm sure Moss and Jen want to get back to work." They were currently trying to take off the copious amounts of tape keeping the box closed.

"Oh… Oh, yeah, sure! Yeah, I'm great at stuff like that. Come on, I'll take the challenge, I'll… do… stuff."

"Great, thanks." I went back to Moss and Jen. "It's okay; you can leave it now," I said, "Roy's volunteered to help me."

"Oh, that was very nice of you, Roy." Jen said. "Good luck dealing with the boys, McKenna. I'll go and tell Douglas you're here." She left through the main door.

"Who's Douglas?" I asked Roy as he continued unravelling the tape.

"Douglas is the sex-mad maniac in charge of this company."

"Oh… lovely."

"Well, not so much, actually." Moss declared. "He tried to do it with me once. And I'm a man!" I nodded.

"I think I knew that."

"Well, that's why it's so silly, you see, because Douglas is a man too, and he isn't gay, he was just horny!"

"Yep, I gathered that."

"Are you patronising me?"

"Umm… Yeah, a bit."

"Okay." I shook my head as Roy began to unfold the instructions and construct the desk. I watched him work for a while, before stealing his place on the sofa and lying down.

* * *

><p>"Hello, IT? Have you tried turning it off and on again? No? Try it. Nothing? Okay, is it plugged in? No? Well, plug it in then, you moron!" Roy put the phone down and shook his head. It was afternoon, my desk was in one piece, and all my electronics were set up. Roy and Moss had become a bit more relaxed around me, and Jen was sitting on the sofa chatting to us.<p>

"So, I'm going for a drink after work with the girls from fourth, do any of you want to come?" She asked.

"Oh, no." Roy said. "No way am I going near your friends ever again. Not after that dinner party."

"Yes, that was pretty horrific." Moss interjected.

"What dinner party?" I asked.

"Oh, it wasn't _that_ bad… was it, Roy?" Jen raised her eyebrows at him.

"It bloody was! It was _the_ most humiliating day of my life!"

"Hello? What dinner party?"

"Basically, Jen had us and… someone else to dinner with her and two of her single friends. Except our someone else got a bit carried away with one of them. It wasn't good to watch. Especially when you're eating jelly." Roy shuddered.

"And to top it all off, I got paired with Jen!" Moss said. Jen threw a cushion at him, but it missed.

"Well…" she said. "When you put it like that… it wasn't great, was it?"

"No. It certainly was not."

"Yeah… I think I'll pass on the drinks, thanks." I said.

"Me too."

"And me."

"Oh, fine. I'll go on my own. I just hope they don't start asking me about computers again…" she grimaced.

"If they ask you anything, just say that a lot of computers have issues with their user interface." I put in. They all looked at me.

"What? It's the only bit of computer terminology that I know."

"You mean you don't know how to work a computer either?" Moss asked incredulously.

"Well, I can work one, but I can't fix one. Unless it's like 90% of the cases here, and they haven't plugged the damn thing in."

"Well, we'll soon show you how to fix some PCs, won't we Moss?"

"Umm… Yes." Jen pulled a face.

"Yeah, you know what, I think I'll leave you lot to it." she said. "It's ten to five, and it'll take me ten minutes to go up in the lift. Bye!"

"Bye Jen." We chorused. She left, closing the door behind her.

"Thank heaven for that!" Moss exclaimed. "I thought she'd never leave."

"Well, that'd be fair enough, she does work here." Roy muttered.

"What have you two got against Jen?"

"Nothing. She's just… overexcited." Roy said.

"I think you mean overenthusiastic." Moss replied.

"Right, yes, overenthusiastic. Whatever."

"Well, I think I'll head off as well. I'm on overtime tomorrow, though. Are you two? Or Jen?" I asked.

"Jen never does overtime. And I'm not." Moss said.

"Me neither. Sorry."

"Ah, it's okay. I'll keep myself company."

"You sound a bit schizophrenic when you say that."

"Shut up, Moss."

* * *

><p>The next day, Jen, Moss and Roy were just leaving when another man walked in. He was fairly short and stocky, and he wore a suit that was clearly way too small.<p>

"Oh, god," Jen whispered, "Reynholm alert, Reynholm alert!"

"Ahoy!" the man said. "Aha, you must be the new girl! I am Douglas Reynholm! Who are you?"

"McKenna Adlinson."

"Ah, McKenna. What does that mean?"

"I don't really know. Fair one or something like that."

"Well, knowing that makes me understand why you are called it. You certainly are very fine." He walked around me, looking pointedly at my bum.

"Um, Mr Reynholm?" Jen asked. "Why did you actually come down here?"

"Oh, um, yes… I am looking for new ideas about the running of this company. As you know, we're going under, and I thought clever people… clever, _beautiful_ people like McKenna here… would be able to help…" he paused, still staring at me. "And none of you are going anywhere until you can." There was silence for a moment. Then I said:

"Mr Reynholm? I have an idea." He looked up, into my eyes this time.

"yes. Go on."

"I think it would help, sir, if instead of trying to hit on me and stare at my arse, you went back upstairs, and did your job properly." He stared at me, this time in shock.

"Alright. And so I shall. And I shall do my job much better. Just for you, dear McKenna!" he flounced out of the door.

"Oh, thank god!" Jen sighed. "McKenna, you're a miracle!"

"It was nothing. I'm used to being treated like that. I've met worse than him."

"You've met worse than _Reynholm_?" Roy asked, aghast. "I feel for you. I really do. Anyway, we'd better go. Bye!"

"And don't open the Red Door!" Moss called.

"No, definitely don't! it will disturb you!" Jen shouted.

"Bye, Kenna!" Roy said, waving. I blushed. Kenna was what my best friends called me. Not that I had many anymore. Moss, Roy, and Jen were all I had. After my mum and dad had estranged me for going out with a man they'd disapproved of, I was pretty lonely. But I never complained. I knew that it would get me nowhere. So I just lived to the fullest, and stayed as happy as I could.

I sighed and sat down in my chair behind the newly constructed desk. I had nothing to do until someone rang up to say their computer was broken. I wondered for a moment whether I could get YouTube or if it was blocked. I googled it. YouTube. I clicked the link. Yes! It wasn't blocked. I typed in the name of my favourite comedy show, and settled down to watch. I plugged in my earphones for the sound, and pressed play. Ten minutes into the programme, however, I heard a sound from outside the computer. I paused the programme and took out my headphones. It was silent now. But I felt incredibly drawn to the red door at the back of the room. I crept over to it, and touched the doorknob. I felt a pang of guilt. Why was I doing exactly what they told me not to do? I should leave it. I drew back for a moment. But the sound came again. It was like hardware warming up. I put my hand back on the doorknob. Anyway, why should Moss, Roy and Jen tell me what to do? I was an adult too! I had my own free will, and I was going to use it. I turned the doorknob and opened the door. It was totally dark in the room beyond. I picked up my iPod from the desk and used it as a torch to see. My vision was still limited, so I wasn't surprised when I bumped into something. I was more surprised, though, when the something gasped. I gasped too, dropping my iPod. However, the something seemed to catch it, before handing it back to me.

"I think I'm going to scream." I murmured.

"Oh, not another one." The thing said. Then I blacked out.


	2. Who are you?

**A/N: Sorry, I should have done this last time, but it was my first upload and i didn't know how. I now understand. Anyway. I left you on a bit of a cliffhanger, didn't I? Well, now here is the resolution. I hope you enjoy it. :)**

**Disclaimer: I don't own the IT Crowd. It belongs to channel four and the genius that is Graham Linehan. If i owned it, series five would be in the pipeline, and Richmond would be back...**

When I woke up, I was on a cold concrete floor in a fully lit room. I wondered whether this was the same room as I had walked into. I sat up, still feeling a bit dizzy, and realised there were three things amiss. One, it was freezing in here. Two, there was a black velvet jacket under my head. And three, there was a man sitting in a chair across the room. I scrambled up from the floor, feeling my head spin, and backed away from him. He stood up.

"It's okay." He said, raising his hands in front of him. "I'm not going to hurt you."

"Well, you look like you might!" He wore a black shirt, black trousers so skinny he couldn't have been able to bend down, and heeled leather boots. He had a blood red tie around his collar, and shoulder length straight black hair.

"I won't, I promise. I'm just a Goth, that's all." He blinked, drawing my attention to his eyes. They looked normal compared to the rest of him, apart from the eyeliner. They were blue, startlingly so, and they shone, though whether that was happiness, sadness, or the glint of evil, I couldn't tell. I guessed sadness, considering his expression. He sighed and looked away from me.

"Everyone's scared of me. They were before, and they are now."

"What do you mean, they were before?"

"I've worked in this company before. At one point, I was Reynholm's right hand man. I became a Goth, got shoved down here. Those three were terrified of me. Then I found a niche in helping Goths to get real jobs. I managed that for a while, but in the end, Goths decided they didn't want jobs. This was the only place I had left to go. I came back. But those three are convinced that I died and that my ghost lives in here. That's why they don't open the door. But I don't think they would if they knew it was me."

"But that's horrible. Why don't you just go out and surprise them?"

"I tried that once with a cleaner. It killed him. Stone dead. He had a heart attack."

"Oh. Maybe not that method then."

"No. Do you want to sit down?"

"Thanks." I sat in the chair opposite his, and he sat back down. "What's your name?" I asked.

"My name is Richmond Avenal. And you?"

"McKenna Adlinson."

"That's a nice name. Do you have a middle name?"

"Laetitia."

"That's much nicer than my middle name. My middle name doesn't fit me. Doesn't even fit my gender."

"What is it?"

"Felicity." I raised my eyebrows.

"Okay. Well, nothing wrong with that."

"There is. I used to get picked on for that."

"When people pick on you, or discriminate against you, you have to have a system to forget it."

"Like what?"

"Well, my method goes like this. You listen to what that person says…"

"Yes…"

"Then you notice something odd about them…"

"Yes…"

"You think of what you would say to them or call them…"

"Yes…"

"And then you don't say it."

"What?"

"By not saying something mean, you put yourself above the person who would stoop as low as to pick on you. That can give you the boost you need to get over it. It works."

"So… if I reply to your comment about my appearance…"

"Yeah… sorry about that."

"It's okay. But if I thought of something odd about you…" he looked unnervingly at me for a moment. "Okay, I have something. I don't know if it's very good."

"It's fine. Now, think of exactly what you would say to me." He thought for another moment.

"Okay. Ready."

"Now. Restrain it."

"It's restrained. But now it's stuck in my head!"

"Yeah, I usually write them down. You can just tell me yours."

"But won't that make me just as petty?"

"Not in this case, because none of us mean it."

"Well, I mean mine. But it isn't bad! It's just… weird."

"Okay… go on."

"Well, your sunny disposition unnerves me extraordinarily." I laughed.

"You mean I'm too happy for you?"

"Well, sort of. I mean, you've helped me a bit. But I'm normally miserable. It's who I am."

"It doesn't have to be who you are. You could look gothic and still be happy."

"Really?" I nodded.

"It doesn't have to be like this. You don't have to live in a closet for the rest of your life. You can be accepted."

"I would like that." He smiled a tiny, slight smile. But a smile all the same.

"That's the way. My motto is: don't worry, there's no point. Not particularly poetic, but… it does the job."

"Yes. I've never had a motto. I never bothered to think of one."

"You should try. It helps if you're in a tricky situation, to just think of your motto. Then you'll know what to do."

"That does seem like a good idea."

"Try to think of one tonight. Are you in all night?"

"I'm always in. Permanently. I can't leave, because there's always someone here who doesn't know about me."

"It's so sad, you being trapped in here. Do you have the time?" he pulled out a pocket watch and looked at it.

"It's ten fifteen." He said. "You were out a long time."

"God, I was. I'm three hours late going home. Come with me."

"Come where?"

"Back to mine. At least you can sleep in a warm room with a carpet and a proper bed." He looked at me intently again.

"Really? That's okay?"

"It's fine. And anyway, I'd enjoy the company. I've got a spare room; I'll tidy it up for you."

"Thank you, McKenna. You are very happy, aren't you? And helpful."

"I try. Come on; if we surprise any cleaners, that's their problem." I opened the door and peered out into the office. There was no one about, so we crept out. I picked up my bag and turned off my computer, before leading Richmond to the lift. It juddered up to the ground floor, and we walked out into the reception area. Although it was dark outside, the interior was lit up. However, it was empty, so we dashed out of the doors together. It wasn't until I got outdoors that I realised Richmond had taken my hand as we were running so he could keep up. I let go quickly, and he looked at the floor.

"Umm… shall we go?" I asked.

"Yes. How far away do you live?"

"Oh, only a few streets. And remember what I told you earlier. If anyone gives you stick…"

"Think of a comeback, but restrain it. And write it down. But I don't have anything to write on."

"I'll get you a pen and notebook when we get back."

"Thank you. You really are very nice. It makes me feel… weird."

"That's happiness." I crossed a road, and he trotted along behind me eagerly.

"Wow. I haven't felt that for a while."

"Well, I'm glad you are now. You don't deserve to be sad, no one does. I'm glad I could help you a bit."

"More than a bit. You got me out of there."

"You'll have to come back with me tomorrow."

"Oh, that's alright. If we get there first, we won't surprise them so much, will we?"

"I guess not." Suddenly, a gaggle of teenage boys appeared from around a corner.

"Alright, Goth?" one of them shouted.

"Where's your fangs, Dracula?"

"Shouldn't you be dead? Oh, wait, it looks like you are!"

"Remember what I said, Richmond. Restraint." Then one of them shouted:

"Oi, your bird looks more my type than yours. Can I have her?" Richmond scowled, and I stopped him. The boys got closer, until they were right next to us. Then I hit the one who had shouted last with my handbag.

"What the hell are you doing, you madwoman? On second thoughts, mate, you can bloody keep her." He ran to catch up with the rest, and Richmond frowned at me in concern.

"Are you alright?" he said.

"I'm more worried about you." I said. "Look at you. You're shaking."

"I know." His sad expression came back. "I'm not used to putting up with that kind of thing. Not after being behind the red door for so long."

"How long were you behind the door?" I asked as we started walking again.

"I'm not sure. You sort of lose track of time. The first time was about four years. Then two years helping Goths get jobs… then another year… I think."

"So it's been about seven years since you first went down there?"

"Something like that."

"I just don't know how they could do that to you."

"Well, I don't know how Douglas Reynholm could talk like that to you."

"You heard that?"

"It was hard not to. Reynholm isn't the quietest man in the world, and then you shouted at him."

"That's true. Come on, we need to cross the road here, then I live down _that_ road. Right at the top." I pointed. Richmond nodded, and we crossed over. As I unlocked my front door a few moments later, I watched Richmond looking around my front garden, playing with the honeysuckle around my door. He was like a child in terms of experience, but I knew he was intelligent. He was picking up what I was saying so quickly. I sighed, and picked a white rose from my flowerbed.

"Here." I said, putting it in his buttonhole. "This is for you."

"Thank you. Don't all flowers mean something?"

"I don't know, do they?"

"I think so. And I think a white rose means purity or innocence."

"Suits you perfectly." I said. He smiled his little smile again, and I opened the door, letting him inside my house. I walked in after him, locked the door, and once again watched him, this time admiring the paintings on my wall.


	3. Back to Work

**A/N: Hello again! Here is chapter three, and hopefully it starts getting a bit cute now. This chapter is dedicated to 24peach24, for being the first person to sub my story. You rock my socks!(which is extra cool since I'm currently wearing two pairs) Enjoy! :)**

**Disclaimer: I don't own the IT Crowd. I know, it's disappointing, right?**

I spent half an hour tidying the spare room for Richmond. He tried to help, but he would get distracted by the stuff I was passing to him to put in a bag.

"Are those Doc Martens under the bed?" he asked.

"Yeah, they belonged to my ex. I hadn't the heart to throw them out, they're such nice boots. You can have them if they fit."

"Really?"

"Yep. They won't fit me, so…"

"Thanks."

"It's cool." We lapsed back into silence for a while, until he said:

"You aren't going to throw all this stuff out, are you?"

"No, I don't think so. Why?"

"Because there's a black velvet dress in here. I bet it would really suit you."

"Is there? I don't remember that."

"Look." He pulled it out of the bag and held it up. It was calf length and had thin straps.

"Oh, yeah. That's from when I went through my Goth phase. A couple of years ago."

"You were a Goth too?"

"For a while. Two years or so. Then I decided that being a Goth wouldn't help me get a job. So I changed."

"You should have come to me."

"I should. Anyway, I was too happy. That's what other Goths told me. I think you helped prove that today."

"Yes. I think how you are now suits you."

"Thanks. Come on, let's finish up. Then I'll get you a notebook and a pen, and I might try that dress on, actually."

"Okay." We put the last few things in the bag and I put it in the loft. I left the dress out, though. I found Richmond a pen and notebook, before making a cup of tea. I put his down on the table in the dining room where he was writing, and sat down next to him.

"Are you finished?" I asked. He nodded and slid the notebook towards me. He had dated the page, written down each comment that had been said to him, and the things he would have said back.

_17/6/10_

_Alright, Goth?_

_Goth is a subculture, not an insult._

_Where's your fangs, Dracula?_

_Where's your idea of a good insult? Because that isn't a very good one._

_Shouldn't you be dead? Oh, wait, you already look like you are!_

_At least I don't have to have my hood up permanently to hide my face._

_Oi, your bird looks more my type than yours. Can I have her?_

_Of course she's my type. She made me happy._

I tried not to smile at the last one, even if I wasn't sure what to do about it just yet. I read through his proposed comebacks twice, then said:

"Well done. Pretty good."

"I don't know if the comebacks are actually decent, are they?"

"They are, actually. They're intelligent. When I do them, I mostly use profanities. Yours are more considered."

"Thank you, McKenna."

"Don't thank me. You did this. You're helping yourself."

"Am I?"

"Yeah. Now, I'm gonna go and try this dress on, see if it still fits. Drink your tea, before it gets cold."

"I will." I left him there with his tea, and went to the bathroom to change into the dress. It was a little small, and took a bit of breathing in to get into, but I did it in the end. It was fairly comfortable, and I nodded to myself. Now to show Richmond.

"Wow." He said as I stood in the dining room. "Give us a twirl then." I did so, and his smile came back, a bit bigger this time.

"That really suits you, McKenna."

"Thank you. But I still think I should stick with my current style."

"Yes, you do fit in better that way."

"And that's the main thing at the moment. I need to pay my rent."

"We're both in sticky situations, aren't we?"

"That we are, Richmond. That we are. I'm going to go and put my pyjamas on."

"Okay. What should I sleep in?"

"Oh, I don't know. I didn't think of that."

"It's okay. I'll sleep like this. I normally have to."

"Don't you have other clothes?"

"Yes, they're in a box behind the red door. I wish I'd thought to bring them with me. Never mind."

"We'll fetch them tomorrow."

"But... I'll be going back there tomorrow."

"Yeah, but you can come back here tomorrow too. If you want to."

"I would like to."

"Then we'll fetch them tomorrow. I'll be back in a minute." I left him again, this time writing something else in the back of his notebook.

That night, before I went to bed, I looked in on Richmond. He was in the spare room, sitting at the desk, still writing, occasionally looking up to stare out of the window. I knocked gently on the door, and he jumped up out of his seat.

"It's okay. I'm going to bed now." I said softly. He nodded.

"Goodnight, Kenna." I smiled again. My nickname.

"Goodnight, Richmond. Oh, and I have a tip for you to use tomorrow."

"What's that?"

"Don't put the make up on."

"Oh. Will that help me be accepted?"

"Yeah, it will."

"Oh. Can I keep the eyeliner, at least?" I sighed and relented.

"Yeah, okay. It probably won't make a difference."

"Thanks. Goodnight."

"Goodnight. Sweet dreams." He smiled slightly, and sat back down at the desk, picking up his pen again. I smiled back, and closed the door behind myself. I sighed, not quite sure of what to make of him, and went to bed.

* * *

><p>The next morning, we left my house to go back to Reynholm Industries again. Richmond was still wearing his rose, but it had wilted a bit, so I got him a fresh one, a red one this time.<p>

"Oh, thank you." He said. I smiled at him and we left my garden behind. I noticed Richmond had taken off his make-up.

"That suits you, you know." I said. "Not having the make-up on, I mean."

"Does it really?" he asked.

"Yeah, it really does. And your eyeliner looks neater now, too."

"Yes, it normally gets smudged during the day. And I don't have a mirror in my little room."

"Well, you don't have to stay in there anymore. You can stay with me."

"I like your place. It's really nice. I haven't used the bed yet though."

"You mean you didn't sleep last night?"

"No. I was busy writing."

"What were you writing about?"

"That's a secret." I tutted.

"Shame. It looked really interesting."

"You can see it when I'm done. Give me a week or two to finish it off." He said.

"Okay. And speaking of which, do you have your notebook?" He nodded and held it up for me to see. "Good. I have a feeling you might need it today. You're going to have to confront Moss, Roy and Jen. I won't let them put you back in the room, but they might not be too welcoming."

"I know. I think I'm ready."

"That's good. Because we're going to have to go down there now." We walked into the offices and straight towards the lifts. A few people gave Richmond an odd look, but we ignored them and carried on. Once we were down in the basement, it was quiet and easier. We were half an hour early anyway, so that we didn't surprise the others too much. I told Richmond to sit down somewhere and not fiddle with anything while I tidied up a bit. He sat on the sofa with his legs crossed and his hands on his knee. I looked around for things which were out of place. My headphones were still on the desk from last night, so I put them into my bag. There were three spare screws from when we had put the desk together in the carpet, so I shoved them in the bottom drawer. I tidied up a few other things, going through the papers on Roy's desk and throwing the unnecessary ones in the bin. I put the rest in a heap with his comics and the daily newspaper from last week. I did the same with Moss's desk, and then sat down next to Richmond. It was eight twenty, and I knew it would only be about five minutes until Jen arrived. I put my hand on his.

"Are you ready for this?" I said. He turned his startling eyes on me and shook his head.

"No, I'm not. What if they shut me behind the door again?"

"I told you, I won't let them do that. If they can't accept you, that's their problem."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes. I'm sure." I paused, still with my hand on his. Then I picked it up and held it properly. "You're shaking again." I said.

"I know. I can't stop it." He looked down at the floor.

"Come here." He looked back up at me and I hugged him gently. He felt fragile, like he might break. But he hugged me back, and after a while his shaking decreased. It didn't stop entirely, but it was something. I let him go, and asked:

"Are you okay?" He nodded, but looked unsure. "It's alright, Richmond. Remember what I told you."

"Yes. I know." He took my hand again, and I didn't resist. I knew he needed comfort now, and if I was going to help him, then it was the least that I could do.

As Richmond fidgeted, I looked at my watch. Eight thirty. They'd be here any minute-

"Morning, McKenna." Jen breezed past us to her office. She breezed back again.

"Oh, my god!" she shouted. "Richmond? But you're dead!"

"Well, actually, I'm not. Look. I'm alive."

"But… you disappeared. Then you came back. And then… Reynholm told us you were dead."

"I know. Douglas was never very accepting of Goths." He stared into space, reminiscing. "He wanted rid of me. But I couldn't keep up my job helping Goths. This was the only place I had left to go."

"Oh… okay… well, I ought to call and tell him you're back…" she wandered towards her office, but only got halfway before she collapsed face first on the carpet.

"Oh, god." I muttered. "Richmond, will you help me get her on the sofa?" He nodded, and we manhandled her over to it. Just as we put her down, Moss and Roy walked in.

"Oh, no!" Moss exclaimed. "It's Richmond's ghost! And he's killed Jen!"

"What?" Roy said. "Richmond? Aren't you dead?"

"No, I'm really not!" he said indignantly, still shaking. "And Jen's not dead either, she fainted."

"Oh, well that's alright then." Moss sat down behind his desk. "Hang on! That means… you opened the red door, didn't you?" he pointed dramatically at me. I shrugged.

"What can I say? Temptation plagues the best of us."

"Hold up a second." Roy burst out. "Why did you have to reintroduce him to us? He just brings us down!" Richmond hung his head, and I took his hand again.

"Roy, he does not get you down. You're just overly sensitive. Just because he's a Goth, doesn't mean he isn't a person!"

"What- You're holding his hand now!"

"So what?" I shouted. "He stayed at my bloody house last night, what does it matter?" Roy's eyebrows shot up, and I calmed down a bit. "I'm helping a friend in need, Roy. You know I'd do the same for you. Just forget about it." he sighed and frowned, but nodded. I nodded back, and led Richmond away through the red door. He cowered away, but I coaxed him through. I closed the door behind him and looked up at his face. He looked nervous and sad.

"Please don't shut me in here." He murmured. I closed my eyes, feeling his pain.

"I won't. I've promised you that, and I won't break that promise. At the end of the day, you can come out, and you don't have to come back here. Ever. I doubt you'd be on the payroll, so they wouldn't miss you if you left."

"But where would I go?"

"You can stay at mine during the day, providing you don't break anything. And we can carry on your 'social acceptance' lessons." His smile returned, and he said:

"I'd like that." I smiled back.

"So would I. Now, get all your stuff together for tonight, okay? Oh, and here. I have a book for you." I handed it to him, and he looked at it.

"Hmm. Dracula. I haven't read this before. Thank you."

"I'll see you later, Richmond."

"Bye, Kenna." He stepped forward and, to my surprise, hugged me. I didn't know what to say, so I just hugged him back, noticing his shaking had stopped. When he let go, I squeezed his hand by way of goodbye, and walked out, feeling guiltier than ever for leaving him.

**Any feedback etc. is much appreciated. Much love x**


	4. Home once more

**A/N: Ooh, Chapter four! Hopefully the storyline should start to emerge, although it still feels a tad drabbly to me. It will all begin to make sense soon enough. Have fun reading :)**

**Disclaimer: No, the IT crowd isn't mine. I wish it was, but you can't have it all, now can you?**

The rest of the day passed in awkward silence. Every time I tried to start a conversation, I was treated to a look of unblinking pity from Moss, and a look of angry disappointment from Roy. When Jen eventually came to, she retreated to her office in silence. I got on with what I was doing, but the phone rang only once during the day. I answered it.

"Hello, IT? Yes, have you tried turning it off and then on again? Okay, well, have you plugged it in? Well, if you plug it in, it'll work, see? This is how electricity works. Oh, shut up, I'm not in the mood." I hung up on the grumpy gentleman from sixth, and looked at the clock. Four thirty. Only half an hour till I could go home. Thank god.

At five to five, I had had enough. I went and fetched Richmond, and we left the office without saying goodbye.

"Are you alright?" Richmond asked as we walked towards the lift.

"I'm fine." I answered. He stood in front of me so I couldn't go any further. I looked up at him.

"You aren't fine, McKenna. I can see it in your eyes." I sighed.

"No. But don't worry about me. Come on, let's go home." I stepped around him, and he followed me to the lift. We ascended to the reception area and left Reynholm Industries behind again. As we walked, people began to stare at Richmond again. He looked at the floor. Suddenly, someone threw an empty drinks can at him, and he reflexively jumped back, grabbing my hand. I held on to him tightly as the laughing teenagers passed by. He began to shake again, and we walked the rest of the way as quickly as we could, silent apart from our shaking breaths. As I unlocked the door, I could see him looking around nervously.

"I don't like it out here." He muttered.

"It's okay. Come on in." I opened the door and we went inside. He put down his small box of clothes in the hallway and hugged me tightly. Again, I knew he needed comfort, so I held him close and tried to soothe him. But then I realised that, in actual fact, I quite liked being here. In his arms, hearing his heartbeat, comforting him.

"It's alright, Richmond. It's okay. They can't hurt you now." He nodded, and I looked up at him as he took a long, shaky breath.

"I'm fine. I'm alright." I let go of him and said:

"You aren't. But don't worry, okay? I'll keep you safe. Now, do you want something to eat?"

"Yes, please."

"Is pasta okay?"

"Pasta would be lovely." His smile returned, making my mind wander for a moment to how attractive he was with his smile and less make-up.

"Okay. Pasta it is. Come on." I smiled back and we went to the kitchen, where Richmond again began to write as I made us dinner.

A bowl of pasta and a can of coke each later, I had given up trying to get Richmond to calm down. He was talking at six words a second and fiddling with everything he could get his hands on. He managed to pull down my sieve from its hook on the wall, dragging several pans down with it. I face-palmed and went to my room to get my own notebook. I had started writing myself some guidelines for looking after Richmond. So far I had pages entitled things to do, things not to do, things to avoid entirely, and general instructions. I went back and added a new one entitled Things never to give Richmond, and scrawled the word Coke in large letters underneath. When I looked up, I nearly jumped out of my skin. Richmond had noticed my exhausted expression and was very close to me, looking at me intently. He tilted his head and frowned at me slightly. The effect was so disconcerting and odd, I had to laugh. This made him smile too. He seemed to have calmed down a little bit, because he said:

"I'm sorry; I seem to have broken your little hook on the wall."

"I noticed." I replied. "Don't worry. Just another fiver onto the rent for this month." He frowned more deeply and sat down.

"You have to pay for that?"

"Oh, yeah. I pay for everything that goes wrong in this house. My landlord's a tight bastard."

"I'm so sorry, McKenna. I didn't realise. I wish I could help you pay while I was living here…"

"Don't be sorry. It's alright. Sort of."

"Come on, Kenna. You're meant to be the happy one. You're meant to be teaching me how to be socially acceptable. Although I don't think I'll ever quite reach that stage."

"Oh, you never know. It's possible." I paused. "Thank you for the encouragement."

"Is that socially acceptable?"

"Definitely. Encouragement is always a good thing."

"Oh. Good." He smiled. I smiled back, and he hugged me. His warmth seeped into me, and I suddenly realised I was cold.

"Is it me, or is it cold in here?" I asked.

"I think it's you. Although I am used to the room. It's always cold in there."

"True. I'm going to put the heating on." I went into the hall and turned up the thermostat. But I didn't think it was right. Mid-June, and I was freezing. Something was off about this. I walked back into the kitchen, but Richmond was gone. Oh, god, I thought. There was no telling where he was. But then I heard a quiet cough from the dining room. When I walked in, he was sitting at that table instead, writing again.

"Still busy?" I asked quietly.

"Yes. You know, I might finish this by the end of the week. Even if I do sleep."

"You should. That's socially acceptable."

"I will then."

"It's also good for you."

"Really?"

"Really. Actually, I feel pretty tired myself. Must have been going to bed so late last night and getting up at five thirty."

"Oh. Are you going to bed then?"

"I think so."

"Well, then, I'll write upstairs, if that's okay?"

"Yeah, it's fine. I'm alright on my own, though."

"I'd feel safer." He said softly.

"Oh. Yeah, of course. Come on." He picked up his notebook in silence and left the room. I turned out the light and we climbed the stairs. We stopped on the landing, and he said:

"You don't look well, Kenna." I smiled slightly at my nickname, but he was right. I could see myself in the mirror across the landing. I was paler than him.

"I don't feel that well, to be honest."

"Do you want me to sit with you?"

"What do you mean?"

"Until you fall asleep. So you feel safer. If you make me feel safer, I should do the same for you."

"I think it's okay for now, Richmond. But thank you for offering. That's very sweet."

"I'm here if you need me."

"Same goes for me. Try to sleep tonight."

"I will. Goodnight." He pulled me into another hug, and kissed the top of my head. I was a little surprised, but murmured:

"Goodnight, Richmond." We went our separate ways, and I fell into bed gratefully. I was still cold, but sweating, and tired enough that I couldn't sleep. I lay there for maybe four hours before I fell asleep. I considered going back to talk to Richmond, but after a while I heard his gentle snoring and realised that a nocturnal Goth had managed to get to sleep before me. Wonderful. Finally, after a torturous few hours, I fell into uneasy, nightmarish sleep.

The look of illness was about me for about a week, during which I went to work each day. But the next Thursday, I awoke at six thirty with a nauseous feeling in my stomach. I rushed to the bathroom, but after half an hour sitting shivering in front of the toilet bowl, nothing happened. The nausea lessened a little, but I still felt cold and hot at the same time, tired but overly alert, achy and sore all over. I groaned and stood up, feeling dizzy. I managed to hit my aching head on the toilet roll holder too. I sighed. There was no way I was getting to work today. Another day's wages down the pan. I went back to bed, awake and shaking, until eight thirty. Then I called the IT department to tell them my situation. Roy answered.

"Hello, IT, have you tried turning it off and on again?"

"Hey, Roy." I croaked.

"Oh, Kenna!" he said in surprise. "I thought you were late. Where are you?"

"I'm at home, feeling like crap."

"What's up?"

"I don't know, could be flu or something. Anyway, I don't think I can come in today."

"Yeah, that's cool. Nothing'll happen, bet on it."

"Good. Least I won't be missed."

"Hmm." We were both silent for a moment. Then we spoke at the same time:

"Kenna-"

"Roy-"

"You first." I said.

"Okay. Listen, I'm sorry about yesterday. We were just a bit… shocked."

"It's alright. I understand. I know how Richmond frightens people."

"Yeah. How are you two getting on?"

"Oh, like a house on fire." I said sarcastically. "Nah, seriously, we're getting on fine. I've told him not to go back to Reynholm Industries. He won't be missed."

"Yeah. Tell him hi from us, will you?"

"Um… sure."

"Thanks. What did you want to say?"

"It was about the same, but in reverse."

"Oh. Okay." Silence fell for a second, but then Roy said:

"Shit, Reynholm! Gotta go, much love, bye!" He hung up, but not before I heard the bellowing tones of Douglas begin to sound. He sounded truly cross today, rather than just excitable. I rolled my eyes and leaned on the wall. I was still chilly in my flimsy pyjamas, but I knew the heating was turned up as much as I could afford. I went back to my room and put on my dressing gown, before looking in at Richmond. He was still sleeping, and I noticed that he had found some of my ex's old black pyjamas in the drawer, and was wearing them. I sighed at how peaceful he looked, but then descended into a coughing fit which could have woken all of London. I doubled over, hacking away until Richmond was awake and I was on the floor, weakened by the exertion. Richmond looked over at me blearily, but his eyes widened when he took it in.

"Kenna? Are you alright?" I shook my head, and he rushed over to pick me up. He did _literally_ pick me up, and carried me back to my bed. He sat on the end of the bed and stared at me worriedly. When I got my breath back, I said:

"Not going to work today. If you hadn't noticed."

"Good. You need to rest. And this time, I _am_ watching over you." I didn't reply. He looked determined, and he was already holding my hand. Who was I to argue?

**If you review, I'll love you more than if you'd given me jelly tots :D**


	5. In sickness

**A/N: Hello, friend! I'm sorry this took me so long to upload; I've been on work experience working nine hour days, and I'm exhausted. However, I will compensate by now uploading two chapters. This is the angsty chapter. Be warned! Pain and suffering abound! Sorry about that.**

**Disclaimer: I frickin' wish.**

Richmond sat with me all day, helping me up when I needed the bathroom, asking me where everything in the kitchen was and making me lunch and dinner, talking to me quietly.

"It's so weird not being at work. I don't think I ever had a day off in my last job." I said.

"I know. I've being living in that weird little room for so long, and now I'm living with you."

"It was for the best, really."

"Yes, certainly. I don't know where I'd be without you, McKenna. Thank you."

"Don't thank me. I told you, you're helping yourself."

"I know. But you made it possible. You're a genius really."

"I'm not. Why do you think I'm stuck in all those dead-end jobs with the only likely outcome being me getting the sack?"

"Well, I think you could be an artist."

"I did go to Art College. But I don't know. I'd just end up with a load of paintings no one wanted."

"No you wouldn't. Your paintings are really good."

"Oh, now I know you're lying."

"I'm not." He sighed. "Do I have to start giving you lessons?" I laughed hoarsely.

"No, not just yet." He smiled and squeezed my hand. My stomach did a little flip, my heart skipped a beat. This was what I had been experiencing for the last week every time he spoke to me, touched me. There was almost a spark when we touched, like electricity moving between us. He hadn't noticed, as far as I could tell. But it didn't matter. We were growing closer each day we were together. It was what I had prayed for.

I got up at eight pm to go to the loo. When I returned, Richmond was sitting on the bed, bent over his notebook, writing once again.

"What are you doing in that notebook? Writing a book?"

"Maybe. You'll see. I'm nearly done. I'll show you tomorrow. But it isn't quite a book."

"That's okay. I was joking."

"Okay." I got back into bed, but sat up. I wasn't tired, so I didn't see the point in lying down. I felt slightly better now, but I was still weak.

"I don't think I'll get to work tomorrow either." I said.

"It's alright. I can look after you." I sighed.

"No offence, Richmond," I said, "But you can barely look after yourself." He sighed too, and replied:

"I know. But I can learn, can't I?"

"I guess so." I paused for a moment, trying to find the right words. "Richmond…"

"Yes?"

"I want to say thank you."

"Why?"

"Because… It's so sweet, you trying to look after me like this. I know you must find it hard."

"You helped me. I'm just returning the favour."

"Well, thank you anyway. And…" I tailed off, realising the words I wanted to say were coming too soon.

"And what?"

"Um, nothing. Don't worry about it. It's fine."

"Alright then." He touched the pen to paper again, and I watched in silence as he wrote a few more paragraphs in slanting, spidery writing. The only sound for a while was the scratching of pen on paper. Then he closed the notebook gently, and looked up at me. His azure eyes bore into mine for a moment, before he looked away. I saw a faint flush of red go through his cheeks.

"Are you okay, Richmond?" I asked.

"Yes, of course. Why wouldn't I be?"

"I don't know. It's just… it doesn't matter."

"Oh." I watched him for a few minutes, fidgeting. The red in his cheeks still hadn't gone, which was odd. If he was embarrassed, surely it would have gone by now? Then I remembered that the central heating was still on full. He must have been hot. I asked him if this was the case.

"Yes, I am a little bit." I wasn't surprised. He was still wearing his black velvet jacket.

"Why don't you take your jacket off?" He did so, but as he was also wearing a long-sleeved red ruffled shirt, he still looked uncomfortable.

"What shall I do?" he asked.

"Roll your sleeves up." I suggested. He looked at the floor.

"I'd rather not." He murmured.

"Come here." I pulled his arm towards me, undid the buttons on his cuff, and rolled back the sleeve. I gasped.

"I told you I'd rather not." He muttered.

"Oh, Richmond. Oh, no." I said sadly. His forearm was covered in scars; old fading white ones, newer shiny pink ones, and ones which could barely be a few weeks old. He nodded silently. I took his other hand and rolled up his sleeve. That arm was the same. He wouldn't look at me. I moved closer to him on the bed, and held out my arms to hug him. He didn't respond, so I simply held him for a moment, trying once again to comfort him.

"It's going to be alright, I promise." I said.

"I haven't done it since I met you, you know."

"I know. I know. But we need to tell someone. The psychiatrist at work, maybe?" He wriggled away from me.

"No. Please. Don't tell them."

"Richmond, you need help. You need someone to make it alright again."

"I don't."

"You do, Richmond. You need someone to understand you."

"No, that's not what I mean." He said, more forcefully than I'd heard him speak before, although it was still barely enough to make me notice his anger. "I mean that I already have someone. You understand me, McKenna."

"I try to, I really do. But I think I'm out of my depth here. You need a doctor at the very least."

"No." He stood up and shook his head, then picked up his notebook and walked out. I heard him go into the spare room, and frowned with the pain inside me. I knew he couldn't carry on like this. But I thought he would come round if I left him alone until the morning. So I got into bed properly, suddenly exhausted. It took me a while to fall into sleep, but it wasn't worth it. After the nightmares I had, anything would have been preferable.

I woke up at seven o clock the next morning, and the first thing I thought of was Richmond. I got out of bed quickly, without feeling sick this time. I felt a lot better, but I knew I couldn't go to work today. I had to talk to Richmond. I went to his door, and knocked loudly. There was no response from inside. I sighed and called:

"Richmond, I'm sorry. But we need to talk. Can I come in? Please?" There was still no reply, so I opened the door slowly. I looked around the room, even going so far as to check behind the door. But Richmond was gone. There was a note written on a page of his notebook, which he had left on the desk. I knew that if he'd left his notebook, things were bad. I held back the tears that were threatening, and read the note:

'To my dear McKenna. Clearly you will have noticed I'm gone. And I'm so sorry. I know you cared about me, but people mustn't know about this. You made me so much happier, so much brighter, like yourself, and that's wonderful. It felt nice. But this has dragged up old memories. I can't stay here now. Thank you for all you did. It was lovely staying with you, but I can't anymore. I was even starting to fall in love with you a little bit. It's gone now. I'm sorry. I don't feel any ill will towards you. It's just my time to go. So, goodbye, dear McKenna. I hope we meet again one day. Richmond.'

I couldn't help it any longer. The tears fell down my face, interrupted in their smooth path by my juddering sobs and shaky breaths. This was my fault. If it wasn't for me and my nosy nature, he would still be here. One part of the note seemed particularly ominous: 'It's just my time to go.' I knew he probably didn't mean to another town. I made a choice. I dropped the notebook back on his pillow where I'd found it, and ran out of the room. I got dressed quickly, and ran to work. I looked a mess, I knew, but I didn't care. I had to find him. Before he did something awful. On the way to Reynholm Industries, I looked for him some more. I knew he probably wouldn't be anywhere around, but that didn't matter. I knew my duty to him. So on I ran, calling his name over and over, searching in vain.

**Reviews are more beautiful than the sunlight dappling through leaves :)**


	6. And in health

**A/N: Final chapter! :( I will miss writing about the odd adventures of our favourite nerds. Although, now I look back... Our nerds haven't been that involved... Ah, well, don't worry, they're coming back in this chapter. Have fun reading the end of my little fanfic, and remember: If it doesn't work- _Turn it off and on again!_**

I arrived at the IT department just as the others were setting up for the day. They all looked up as I dashed in.

"Oh, hello McKenna." Moss said cheerily. He didn't notice the look of horror on my face.

"McKenna?" Roy sounded concerned. "Are you alright?" I shook my head, and he hugged me quickly. "What's wrong, what's wrong?" he asked.

"It's Richmond." I said, my voice hoarse and high pitched. "He's gone."

"Gone where?"

"I don't know, I don't know." I whimpered. "Please, help me look for him?"

"Well… I'll have to ask Douglas for permission…"

"Please. Please ask him."

"Okay. Moss?" He let go of me to look at Moss.

"Hmm?"

"Help us look for Richmond?"

"Okay, then. I don't have much to do." We all went into Jen's office to ask her. She said yes immediately, and said she had been quite fond of Richmond once. I didn't ask. All I cared about was finding him.

We looked odd, roaming the streets together. A nerd with an afro, a red headed businesswoman, and a tall Irishman supporting a tearful near-invalid. We attracted a lot of attention between us, and we began to ask others to help. We stopped passers-by, told them what Richmond looked like, and asked them to help search. Many of them, surprisingly, said yes, and we soon had an unofficial search party going on. But still it was six pm before any news came. Roy got a call from a friend on the other side of the city, saying he'd heard about Richmond and thought he'd seen a Goth wandering around. We rushed over there, but there was no longer any sign. I was getting tired, and Roy insisted I get home. I told him I would take the bus, so he decided to sit in the bus stop with me until it came. I was silent for a long time, merely leaning on his shoulder as tears fell of their own accord. Eventually Roy whispered:

"You love him, don't you?" I nodded. "He's a lucky sod. If he had any sense, he'd be right here with you." I looked at him.

"Are you jealous?" I managed to choke out.

"Nah. Just… he'd be lucky. So would anyone. If you get my drift."

"Yeah. Thank you."

"It's no problem." We fell silent again. But after a while, I heard something. A tiny noise, barely registering with my ears. The setting sun shone in my eyes as I looked up. There it was again. Like… a sniff. My eyes widened suddenly as I saw the alleyway across the street. I got up and ran across the quiet road.

"Where are you going?" Roy shouted.

"Just stay there!" I called back. I dashed into the alleyway. But there was no one there. Or so it seemed. In a shadowy corner, curled up small on the ground, sat Richmond. His eyeliner was smudged down his face, and his shirt was dirty. He looked at me with fear in his eyes.

"It's okay, Richmond. I won't tell. I'll never tell. Just… please come back." My voice cracked, and the tears began again. He stood up slowly, keeping a cautious distance from me.

"Do you promise?" he asked.

"Yes! Yes, I promise. I will never hurt you again." He darted towards me and took me in his arms. I leant on him, crying so much I was surprised my tears hadn't dried up. He held me close, stroking my hair, trying to soothe me. When I had finally calmed down, he let me go and looked down at me.

"Did you read my note?" he asked.

"Yes. Were you serious when you said about… falling in love with me?" he was silent for a long moment.

"I was." he finally murmured. I smiled through my tears, and took a moment to pluck up courage. Then I stood on my toes and kissed him. He looked surprised for a moment, but seemed to decide that it wasn't a bad situation to be in. We stayed in the embrace for a long moment, before breaking it off and just standing there. He looked at me and asked:

"Shall we go back?"

"Yeah. Roy's waiting at the bus stop." We walked out of the alley, hand in hand. Roy stood up when he saw us coming. A smile broke on his face when he realised what must have happened. He hugged us both when we reached the bus stop. He raised an eyebrow at me, and I nodded. His grin grew even bigger. We didn't need many words for now. We had our happiness. That was all we really needed.

When we arrived back at my house, Richmond went straight up to his room to fetch his notebook. He tore out the note he had written, and flipped to his story.

"I finished it last night. Before I left. I wanted to leave it for you. But you didn't notice."

"I just wanted you back." I admitted.

"Well, it's nice to know I'm wanted. But do you want to hear it?"

"I would love to." He smiled and cleared his throat, then began to read out the tale:

_'It was a warm June day in the city. In fact, it went beyond warm and could be called hot. Boiling, in fact. Raven sat in the dark of his basement room, scared to go outside for fear of the people surrounding him. He became scared around people, but this room was almost worse. He was kept here all the time. It scared him that he might never get out. They didn't want him outside. He sighed. Maybe his saviour would never come. He thought like this a lot. He had dark thoughts that didn't make much sense. It was like his brain was full of shadows. He carried on with his shadowy brain all night, until something made him jump. The sound of the machine in his room starting up. He stood as far away from it as he could, by the door. But the door opened, and someone walked in. She was scared, but she told him her name. She was Allegra, and she was new to this place. She felt sad for Raven in his room, which was unusual, because she was very happy. So she took him back to her home, and gave him roses. He stayed at her home that night, writing and learning how to be happy. And the next morning, they went back to try to explain to the people that Raven was kind. But they only made the people sad, so Allegra had to put him back in his room until they went home. That made Raven sad. His shadowy brain came back, and he felt like he shouldn't be there. At the end of the day, when they left, he could tell that Allegra was sad too. He tried to make her happy, but it didn't work. On the way home, some more people were cruel to Raven, and threw things at him. This made them even sadder. They ate dinner, and went to bed feeling sad. They stayed like that for a week, because Allegra had to go to work and leave Raven at home. Raven became shadowy again, and felt a lot of pain. But when Allegra got up one morning, she was very sick. She couldn't go to work, so she stayed at home with Raven. Raven tried to make her happy and better like she had done for him, but he wasn't very good at it. He wrote while he sat with her, and she asked him what he was writing. He said it was a love story. She asked him whose it was, and he said it was theirs. She asked him if he loved her, and he replied yes. And they kissed, and Raven got the same sickness as Allegra. But he didn't care, because they were in love, and that was all that was important. That was their happy ending.'_

I looked at Richmond in awe as he finished reading.

"That was amazing. Absolutely incredible." I said.

"I wrote our story down as it happened. But then it got to last night, and I thought that there wouldn't be a happy ending. So I gave us one."

"We can have a happy ending now, Richmond. We can do anything we want to." I hugged him tightly, and he kissed me again.

"You know what?" I said breathlessly. "That would make a really good kid's book."

"Yes, that's a good idea. And you could do the illustrations!" He smiled, a proper, big smile, and I couldn't help smiling back.

"I would love to. And we could try to get it published!"

"Yes. And all your money problems would be over."

"Richmond, you are a gothic genius. I'm going to go and start drawing now."

* * *

><p><em>One year later<em>

"Hey, Roy! I haven't seen you for ages!" I pulled him into a big hug, and he laughed.

"I know! It's been months. How are you doing?"

"Pretty good, I have to say. What do you think of the launch party?"

"It's amazing! I can't believe it; I had no idea Richmond was such a good kid's author. Or that you were such a good artist!"

"Thank you. Are the others here?"

"Yeah, I think Jen went to the bog, and Moss is around somewhere with his girlfriend."

"Moss got a girlfriend?"

"Yep. She's just as big a nerd as he is, so they're perfectly matched."

"Cool."

"Oh, here they all are." Moss and Jen walked towards me with a petite blonde girl between them.

"Hello, McKenna." Moss said. "This is Alix. She's my girlfriend."

"Hey Moss. Nice to hear you found someone."

"Yep." He beamed with such pride I had to resist the urge to say 'Aww'. But resist I did, and was soon pounced on by Jen.

"Oh, McKenna, look at you!" she hugged me so tightly I could barely breathe. "You're famous! And you look so different!" She was right about that at least. I had taken Richmond's advice and gone back to my gothic phase. I wore a long black velvet and lace off-shoulder dress with corseting and flared sleeves. The amount of eyeliner I wore was almost criminal, and I had my hair dyed deep black. But people had said that it worked, and that for the style of the book and the illustrations, it worked perfectly. So I stuck with it. We stood in a clump for a while, socialising, until I realised something.

"Hold on. Where's Richmond gone?" No one seemed to know, and I wandered around the huge venue for a few minutes, until I found him by the bar drinking a large glass of coke.

"I thought I told you not to drink that?" I said.

"It's just to keep me calm. And to make me happy."

"Okay then. I suppose it won't hurt just this once. Come on, come and see the others. They haven't seen you for ages. They'll be surprised, I promise."

"Alright then." We walked back to them, and Jen immediately began to stare.

"Richmond? Is that you?" he nodded happily. He looked just as different as I did. He had red streaks in his hair, a top hat on his head, and a black, fairly ordinary suit, with a white shirt and a skinny black tie. His smile just about reached his ears, and he was so much better around ordinary people nowadays. It was wonderful just to see him laugh, like he did at Moss's reaction, which was to spit out most of the drink he was holding. Roy just laughed with him, clapped him on the back and said:

"Good to see you, mate. And I'm sorry we acted like such bastards to you."

"It's alright." Richmond replied. "If you hadn't, none of this would have happened."

"Oh. Okay then." Richmond took out his pocket watch and said:

"We have to be on stage in ten minutes. We should go wait in the wings. And you four should go and sit down. There should be seats reserved in row A. If they give you trouble, show them this." He handed Jen a small plastic case.

"What is it?" She asked.

"My pass. They'll let you in."

"Okay. Thanks." They headed off towards the auditorium, whilst we walked to the stage door. We stood in the wings nervously, knowing that we would be speaking to hundreds of people any moment now. We were going to tell them our story, tell them how Richmond had gone from riches to rags, then back to riches, then rags again, et cetera. And how I had met him. Our story, the tale Richmond wrote for me, and how it really happened. We were going out there slightly differently today. Because now I had a black sapphire ring on my fourth finger. I would go out there tonight as McKenna Laetitia Adlinson. But soon, I would be McKenna Avenal. And I knew more than anything else, that it would be the best day of my life. To marry this man who I had helped pull back from the brink. I knew I would never leave him. And as the curtains opened, and we walked out onto the stage, I looked out at the sea of upturned faces. I saw Jen, Alix, Moss and Roy on the front row, waving, grinning like maniacs. I knew this was right. This was how it should be. This was my new life, and I was going to live it well.

**Any reviews are still appreciated beyond belief, and what does everyone think about a sequel? Tell me your ideas and I'll do my best :)**

**Much, much love xxx**


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